One of the critiques of Utah’s massive 2024 school safety law is a lack of adequate funding. It’s why the head of the state’s School Safety Task Force, Republican Rep. Ryan Wilcox, plans to ask for more money during the upcoming legislative session. Right now, he’s not sure how much that will be.
The law had $100 million in one-time funding and $4.26 million in ongoing money. The legislation also included a laundry list of requirements for schools, including armed personnel in every school and video surveillance.
Many in the education community said the $100 million won’t cut it and after the law passed some task force members agreed.
Wilcox confirmed there will be a request for more school safety funding during the 2025 legislative session during a Nov. 18 task force meeting. The Utah State Board of Education has already requested an additional $100 million, but Wilcox said he thinks it’ll be closer to $800 million.
The exact figure won’t be known until each school turns in its safety needs assessment, which is due Dec. 31.
Wilcox also introduced a draft bill during the meeting that he plans to run during the session to mainly clean up the law and make some additions.
One would allow the creation of a school safety foundation. The nonprofit statewide organization would be authorized by the state security chief to raise private funds to pay for school safety products.
Another change would be that school private security guards would have to pass a mental health screening. Each Utah school is expected to have one armed person on campus. That can be a school resource officer, a security guard or a volunteer school guardian. The volunteers are already required to have a screening. Additionally, both the volunteers and the private security guards would have to do an annual mental health check-in “that is similar to what law enforcement does,” explained Jeff Van Hulten, the legislative attorney for the task force.
The 2025 bill would also codify a framework for what happens if schools don’t comply with the law.
In minor cases, that could mean the school receives a notification they’re out of compliance or the state’s School Safety Center monitors them more. If the school isn’t complying and isn’t responding to interventions, funding could be withheld and the Utah Department of Public Safety could revoke the school building’s occupancy permit.
The bill would also criminalize sexual activity between a teacher and an adult student, like an 18-year-old high school senior. Van Hulten said the State Board of Education had previously requested that it be put into law, but it was in a bill last year that didn’t pass.
“None of this is scripture, and it can be changed and will be changed as we learn more,” Wilcox said of the work ahead of them next year.
The 2025 Utah legislative session starts on Jan. 21.
